University of Cologne

Please note: As soon as you intend to join or already joined a lab as a potential PhD student, please send an e-mail to the coordinator Dr. Christoph Aszyk (e-mail: christoph.aszyk@uk-koeln.de) stating your intent to apply for the Dr. nat. med. (IPMM) programme. In case you wish to additionally apply for an evaluation whether your project might be suitable for the Dr. rer. nat. doctorate run by the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences you should state this as well by submitting an additional application form, see below. The “Prodekanat Wissenschaft” (Dean’s office for Scientific Affairs) of the Faculty of Medicine coordinates the admission procedure of the doctoral candidates from the Faculty of Medicine applying for the nat. med. (a common programme of the Faculties of Medicine and Mathematics and Natural Sciences respectively) and the evaluation and recommendation for the Dr. rer. nat. doctorate of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. After formal review of the application documents, candidates will be invited to meetings of the IPMM panel and present and discuss their doctoral research proposals. The panel evaluates the quality and nature of the projects, decides about admission to the IPMM and may or may not issue in addition a recommendation for the Dr. rer. nat doctorate.

The IPMM programme is designed for highly qualified research-oriented medical and life and natural science graduates. It covers both basic biomedical research and complementary skills. Individual curricula and mentoring by senior scientists are adapted to particular educational background and specific research interest of the doctoral student. Please visit the IPMM webpage for further information.

Admission to the Dr. rer. nat. doctorate with a supervisor from the Faculty of Medicine requires that the admission criteria of the doctoral degree programme are met (including a qualifying Master degree), that the doctoral project concerns the understanding of basic biological or biochemical mechanisms without therapeutic aspects, that the project is performed in a research group with a basic science tradition, that the project is evaluated and recommended accordingly by the IPMM degree committee, and that a full-time professor of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences agrees to act as a mentor or at least as a reviewer and examiner of the thesis and thesis defense. In case the doctoral degree committee of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences decides in favor of an admission in the subject “Biology”, both, the doctoral student and the supervisor are obliged to strictly and timely follow the Compulsory Core Programme of the Graduate School GSfBS. In case the subject is "Biochemistry", the doctoral student and the supervisor are obliged to strictly and timely follow the Compulsory Core Programme of the Graduate School CGSC. Otherwise admission to the doctoral examinations of the Dr. rer. nat. programme of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences is not possible.

1. Application Form –

Dr. nat. med. in the IPMM, please fill in your personal information including two academic references (names and contact data)

and in addition, if a recommendation for the Dr. rer. nat programme is requested:

Dr. rer.nat. here, in addition to a professor from the Faculty of Medicine (only if the direct supervisor does not hold a professorship), a professor and full-time member of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences must be nominated already with the application. She or he must have agreed to serve as second reviewer and examinar of the dissertation and defence.  

2. Letter of Interest

Personal statement, describing why you are applying for the Dr.nat.med. or the Dr. rer.nat. respectively, including your future scientific career goals.

3. Curriculum Vitae

• Personal data

• Individual achievements (e.g. prizes, publications)

4. Secondary school certificate

5. University Degree Certificates and Academic Record

• Proof of initial enrolment (‘Ersteinschreibung’) for Bachelor and Master studies (e.g. proof of matriculation from first semester, ‘Studienverlaufsbescheinigung’, etc.)

• Bachelor’s acedemic record, degree certificate

• Master’s degree/diploma certificate, academic record, abstract of thesis (1-2 pages) and (as extra pdf or hardcopy version) a complete copy of the MSc thesis

• (if applicable) Medical degree certificate, records of experimental research experience, if applicable an abstract and (as extra pdf or hardcopy version) a complete copy of the medical dissertation

6. Doctoral Project Proposal (maximum 3 pages)

Focused doctoral thesis proposal in the field of Molecular Medicine including

• short introduction to the state of the field (background)

• specific aim(s) of the project

• working hypothesis

• description of the experimental strategy

• working and time plan

• alternative plans for unforeseen obstacles (optional)

• literature (as Appendix)

7. Letter of Recommendation from your supervisor

8. Supervision agreement

Please send your application as one pdf document to Christoph Aszyk

B) Documents to be handed in by the Supervisor of the Doctoral Student

The following documents need to be submitted, if the Supervisor is not yet in charge of any nat. med. or rer. nat. doctoral student

• CV and publication list

• Overview of up to date research group composition: (Post Docs, doctoral students, technical assistants)

• Overview of former doctoral students (name, title of research project, academic degree, research period)

• Overview of third party funding

Please send your application as one pdf document to Christoph Aszyk (Program Coordinator) via e-mail to christoph.aszyk@uk-koeln.de.
If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Christoph Aszyk. Counseling sessions with Christoph Aszyk are possible on request.

Candidates will be invited for an oral presentation and interview.

Contact
Dr. rer. nat. Christoph Aszyk - Programme Coordinator
Phone:+ (49) - 221 - 478 98435
Fax:    + (49) - 221 - 478 3560
E-mail:christoph.aszykuk-koeln.de

Postal address  
Prodekanat Wissenschaft (MEK-Forum, building 42)
Medizinische Fakultät 
Universität zu Köln 
Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 20 
50931 Köln